Muse
by A Song in the Dark
Summary: Merlin has always wanted to photograph Arthur but never had the guts to ask him. But when he gets the chance it is suddenly not enough and he simply wants Arthur


**Muse**

Merlin loved photography and art. He always had done, he used his photographs to generate ideas for him to draw and paint. Luckily, Merlin had some friends who enjoyed posing for pictures because Merlin always made them look so fabulous in the end result. Morgana, Lancelot and Gwen all very kindly offered to pose for him at every opportunity because it was a great day for the four of them.

After a session in the studio which they rented out for photo shoots Lancelot and Gwen would drive home together. Morgana's step brother Arthur would come and collect her as she couldn't drive. Whenever Arthur walked in, Merlin usually walked out. He had always had a crush on the blonde boy who was built like a bear and who batted those blue eyes at everybody he saw. But secretly, Merlin really wanted to photograph Arthur, he was desperate to see how those features, the tousled hair and big blue eyes and perfectly pursed and pouting lips would come up on camera. Would it be so perfect? Would it be alright but not stunning? Would a drawing look better than a picture? Merlin had resigned himself to the fact that he would never know.

But then, one day, fate smiled on Merlin. He was packing up after a photo shoot with his three friends, they had all gone home in Lancelot's car. They planned to go to the cinema together later on. Merlin was dismantling the set and cleaning the lens of his camera, alone in the studio. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Arthur walked into the studio and left the door to swing shut behind him. Merlin looked up suddenly then back down at the floor very quickly.

'Hey, Merlin, have you seen that hair-brained sister of mine?' he asked casually.

Merlin shook his head, embarrassed. 'Sorry, she's gone to the cinema with the other two. Did she not tell you?'

'No, she didn't, probably forgot,' he complained.

'Oh well,' Merlin shrugged, keeping his eyes firmly on the blocks that had made up his set as he began to pull them down and put them in one corner. 'I'll remind her to text you next time,'

'What happened to us Merlin?' Arthur asked, sitting on a box that had been Lancelot's seat during the shoot.

'What do you mean?'

'We used to be friends,' Arthur said, it was a statement 'We used to be good friends. We used to do everything together.'

'Yeah, well…you've got new friends now,' Merlin mumbled 'you're in with a different crowd now. You didn't want me tagging along did you?'

Arthur sighed and stood up. 'Well, if I'm not needed I think I'm going to go home,' He hadn't taken a step yet, and there was a way the light was falling on his face…it was beautiful.

'Don't move,' Merlin said quietly, touching Arthur's arm gently.

Merlin ran to either side of the studio and switched on the large, yellow lamps. They glared in Arthur's eyes and he pulled his arm up to shield them. Merlin picked up his camera and slung the cord round his neck. Without saying anything he began to snap picture after picture of Arthur from every side. Soon he was so engrossed in his work that he let words slip out, commands; 'Turn. Slouch. Stand up straight. Tilt your head. Hand in pocket.'

In twenty minutes the film had run out on his camera. 'It's run out,' he complained. 'I'll be two minutes,' and he ran into the back room, delved his hand into his bag and felt around desperately until his fingers closed around another tube of film. He walked casually back into the studio where he sat on the floor, back to the wall and opened the back of his camera. 'You alright with this?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Arthur shrugged. 'It's quite fun,' he walked over to Merlin and slid down the wall beside him. 'Is this what you like to do now?'

Merlin had pulled out the old film and carefully put it in the canister for the new. Then he began feeding the new film into the camera. 'Yeah, I love it. It inspires my art,'

'I've seen your art round school, it's on all the walls. You're really good!' Arthur laughed.

'Thanks,' Merlin said, frowning at the fiddly snap of plastic.

'Really, you're brilliant,'

'Really, thanks,' Merlin mirrored, before letting out an embarrassing snort of laughter.

'There is one thing about your artwork though,' Arthur commented, getting to his feet.

'Yeah?'

'You always do full length shots. Why don't you try something a little closer?' he said in a soft murmuring voice that shot shivers down Merlin's spine. 'Come on, take a close up,' Arthur was feeling daring. He would never be like this usually. He was part of the cool gang; he was aloof, understated and sarcastic. He was never daring, or flirtatious or confident. He was just there in the background.

'Yeah?' Merlin said again. 'How close?' Merlin climbed to his feet, slid the camera cord over his head again and stumbled forward.

'This close,' Arthur whispered, leaning closer and closer to Merlin.

Merlin pulled the camera up to his eye and snapped away again and again. The flash of the bulb mixed with the dizzying lights from the lamps. It all ricocheted around Arthur's mind, smothering all of his inhibitions until he was free and wild. Like he was when he was drunk. He walked backwards, pulling the camera and so Merlin along with him. He sat down hard on Lancelot's seat from before and Merlin stopped short in front of him. Arthur kept pulling the cord until Merlin's hands were outstretched in front of him, clutching onto the camera. Eventually he understood and climbed easily onto Arthur's lap on the chair. Merlin picked up the camera and took some more photographs; they were just his eyes. Just his lips. Just his hands on the side of the box.

Merlin began to flick through them on the small screen; comfortably sat on Arthur's lap. 'These are brilliant.' He muttered. 'You look really good. You should be a model,' Merlin's eyes were fixed on the camera; thinking that Arthur's were too. Arthur's eyes, however, were fixed on Merlin himself. They flicked down to Merlin's tiny waist and back up to his face, his neck, his hair.

'I'd rather be a muse than a model,' he said huskily.

Merlin looked up at Arthur frowning and pursing his lips. 'In that case I want to get closer,' Merlin whispered as if there were people around that he didn't want to hear this. He leaped lightly off Arthur's lap and switched the camera back to the right mode. Arthur remained on the box; Merlin came right up behind him, feeling all of the muscles in Arthur's back. He took picture after picture, again and again, click after click. Arthur rose from the box in fluid movements, the camera flashing all the while. After a few more moments he lay down on the floor, looking up at Merlin and watching. Merlin lay down on top of Arthur in order to get close enough to trap only his bright white teeth on film when Arthur let out his barking laugh.

Arthur carefully lifted the camera out of Merlin's hands and held it for a second; never dropping eye contact with his artist. Merlin nodded as if words had flowed between them. He then sat back on his haunches and slipped his hand under Arthur's plain black t-shirt. Merlin's fingers melted to butter from the sensation of feeling all of Arthur's muscle underneath them. He helped Arthur shed his t-shirt then picked up the camera again. But after a minute he pulled the cord from over his head and set the camera back down on the floor. Arthur was looking at him in a way that made him feel both uncomfortable and incredibly warm and fuzzy. Once the precious camera was safe and out of the way Arthur took it upon himself and his strength to push Merlin onto his back and push himself on top. So now Merlin was underneath and marvelling at how strangely good it felt to have his old best friend so close to him.

Arthur bent down closer and closer until he could feel Merlin's breath on his face. Merlin frowned and pursed his lips. And then Arthur couldn't take it any more; not when Merlin's lips were so perfectly carved and so perfectly close to his. He took a matter of seconds to close the gap between them and trap Merlin's perfect lips in a dazzling kiss that lasted a single breath. When Arthur pulled away he waited anxiously for the rejection or the acceptance to follow.

When Arthur raised his eyes to Merlin's they were met with wide, blue, shining ones. Merlin pushed himself up to reach Arthur and pull him into a long lasting and magical kiss. Merlin's hand snaked up to cup the back of Arthur's neck; Arthur's finger stroked Merlin's cheek. Merlin pushed against the floor until they were both on their sides. His other hand or rather his fingers walked down Arthur's back and came to rest on his arse. Both of Arthur's hands found their way to Merlin's waist and rested there, tentatively.

'I don't like this shirt on you,' Arthur murmured into Merlin's neck.

'Then let's take it off,' Merlin replied with a wicked smile. Together they ripped the shirt from his shoulders and discarded it on the floor. They knotted themselves together; it was so good to feel Arthur all over him. Merlin could run his fingers all over Arthur's body and relished every second.

'Stop,' Arthur pushed him away and held him at arms length. 'Stop,'

'What's wrong? Merlin asked, inching closer.

'Just stop,' Arthur said again. 'I don't want to do it-'

'You're having doubts already? You're regretting just a kiss?'

'It was more than a kiss,' Arthur said 'You and I just…that was my first kiss but it was so much more than that. We're making out and…and I just want to take it a bit slower,'

Merlin stood up and pulled his misshapen shirt back on. 'I see,' he said, staring steadily at the wall in front of him.

'Merlin, I still want you.' Merlin looked down at him where he sat on the floor. 'I just don't want to lose my kissing virginity and my real virginity in the same day.'

Merlin didn't say anything.

'Merlin, I want you,' Arthur pulled himself to his feet and put his hands to Merlin's cheeks. 'Just slower,'

'Fine,' Merlin said, kissing Arthur again. 'But you are my muse from now on. I can't photograph anyone else but you after today,' Merlin backed away from Arthur, picked up the camera and left.


End file.
